USMCA Trade Agreement Makes Small Business Headlines, What Does It Mean for You?

Although it still needs to be ratified, there are some clear winners and losers as far as American small business goes.

Small Business Trends did some research and reached out to some experts to get their opinions of the new arrangement. Be sure to check out what we found — who wins, who loses — and also, there’s been plenty of other companies making headlines for small business this week.

We’ve put them together in our weekly news roundup below.

Finance

Amazon Gets $2 Billion in Tax Breaks for New HQs, But What Will It Cost Local Businesses?

Amazon announced Tuesday it’s splitting its second headquarters between Long Island City, New York, and Arlington, Virginia, and the corporation will receive tax incentive packages worth more than $2 billion to build in both locations.

Payment platform Paya offers new services to businesses in the nonprofit, faith-based and educational industries with acquisition of payment facilitator Stewardship Technology. Paya Non-Profit Offerings For these industries, having a reliable payment platform makes it possible to raise funds and accept payments using today’s mobile devices and connected systems.

Research

Knowing the demographics in which your small business operates in allows you to better serve the community, as well as figure out the education level of the talent pool available to run your company. In addressing the latter, a recent research carried out by Zippia revealed the most highly educated states in the US.

Sales

35% of Consumers Say They Are More Likely to Buy if You Offer Monthly Installments

More than one third or 35% of shoppers said they are more likely to make a purchase if a business offers monthly installment payments. This according to a survey carried out by Splitit, a payment solution which gives retailers the ability to provide a payment plan for purchases.

Taxes

Use-It-or-Lose-It Tax Breaks Your Small Business Must Take Advantage of Soon

Some tax breaks have a limited existence. Most of the changes in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act for individuals are set to run only through 2025. But when it comes to businesses, there are some provisions due to expire much sooner. It’s up to you to take advantage of them while you can. Use-It-or-Lose-It Tax Breaks Here’s a round up of some to consider.

Technology Trends

Google My Business Announces Enhanced Features

Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) has released a new redesigned app that promises a seamless customer engagement experience. A Look at the New Google My Business App The new Google My Business app will allow small businesses to engage with people who find them on the search engine from one Business Profile location.

38% of Employees Don’t Want Management Dictating the Tech They Use for Work

The technology people use today doesn’t stop when they are in their workplace, as a matter of fact, they might be more loyal to it than what a company might be providing. According to a new report from NexPlane, 38% of employees don’t want management dictating the tech they use for work.

Oracle NetSuite Debuts New Enhancements to Help Businesses Grow

Oracle Corp. (NYSE:ORCL) recently announced a series of new enhancements to its cloud computing platform NetSuite Inc. (NYSE: N). The new enhancements are designed to help businesses across industries grow revenues, expand internationally and empower business users, the company says.

Small Businesses will Find the New MacBook Air Even More Portable Than Before

Small businesses with employees who are always on the go should be pleased. Apple continues to live up to the MacBook Air moniker by making its popular line of laptops even lighter. The new 2018 MacBook Air is thinner, lighter and it still has the 13.3-inch display with better resolution, albeit at a more expensive price tag.